I’ve seen one too many pictures of celebs and their saggy luggage totes that I’ve come to the conclusion that time definitely affects us all. Droopy luggage totes were never a problem for me because my favourite Celine bag has always been the Phantom (that droopy tongue… those Dobby ears…) so the slouchier the better, but I’ve recently succumbed and bought a Mini luggage tote of my own. The first day I bought it I frantically googled, “Do Celine luggage totes sag over time??” (yeah don’t judge), and to my horror I discovered this thread on PurseForum.com, where I found the following pictures:

Spanking new kelly green mini. Credit: Syma on PurseForum

Yes, yes I do sag.

Perhaps “melt” might be a more appropriate word.

Yeah, I actually found all this quite funny. Horrifying, yes, but definitely funny too. Apparently this sagging can happen even if you leave your luggage tote in a cupboard and don’t use it – imagine not touching your precious Celine for 6 months, finally taking it out of its dustbag again aaaaaand it’s turned to goo. Mad depressing, but funny no? I think I would burst into hysterical laughter, then cry. Definitely cry.

You can bet I’ll be monitoring my luggage tote over the next year! If it really starts sagging something horrific I’ll be sure to post pictures for you guys to see. I got it in Oct’12 and it’s grown some tiny wrinkles (just like my face…) but nothing major. To anyone with a luggage tote/trapeze/phantom (the main saggy culprits) of your own, have you experienced this with your bag? Let me know!

Balenciaga is currently offering free Tiny Firsts and Tiny City bag charms for everyone who buys a Classic/Giant 12/Giant 21 Arena bag from their online site! I must say that this is one of the most generous GWPs (Gift With Purchase) I’ve seen a designer do, since these tiny babies cost a couple hundred dollars a pop at retail, plus they’re seasonal. What’s better than a Balenciaga bag? A Balenciaga with a tiny Balenciaga bag hanging off of it, of course!

Er. I really have nothing else to say besides that I need these shoes, and I need them as soon as these land in my nearest Miu Miu store and I get to run my fingers over that gorgeous aqua velvet, and ogle all the shiny stuff over the toe cap. I love almost every jeweled shoe Miu Miu makes (um, not the Oxfords), and I just bought a pair of their jeweled heel ballerinas in May. First Louboutin, now Miu Miu are out to tempt me with their designer sneakers! I suppose some people will look at these and see a very impractical shoe – velvet and jewels on a sneaker, why should a sneaker cost $585USD, how are you going to do anything in them without getting them dirty, yada yada. That doesn’t faze me in the slightest though, since I’m not even the least bit sporty! Wearing these probably counts as being sporty enough for the year for me, actually. So these will just make people think that maybe I run sometimes, when actually I won’t be doing anything of the sort (no trekking through mud or whatever it is outdoorsy types do) at all, and my shoes will stay pristine. Perfect! Now only to wait til 15th October when the pre-orders ship…

Here’s a picture of the top of the shoe, so you can ogle the jewels too:

I bought this bag two weeks ago from the Balenciaga US Online Store (SO HAPPY), but no pictures of it yet because I literally took it out of its dust bag to admire and then put it right back in for my mother to help me carry back to Singapore! I’ve been eyeing this bag since the Spring 2011 colors first launched on the US site, naturally because of its lovely pink color – light enough to be girly but not scream bimbo! I wasn’t sure if it was just non-buyers’ regret that I didn’t get the Giant City Rose Gold in Bois de Rose from the Fall 2010 season, which I fell in love with the first time I saw, but a friend bought it so according to some Girls’ Law out there (like the female equivalent of the Bro Code, only this says you can’t buy a scarf in the same color as your friend or a bag they own already) I couldn’t buy it after I’d seen her carrying it. Especially since Balenciaga produces the same styles of bags, just in different colors each season! I was quite crushed, but it’s okay because apparently my friend’s bag (a very light white-pink) has since faded to gray, and you can’t really tell that it used to be pink. That’s what you get with Balenciaga I suppose, as the brand’s leather isn’t known to be the best and the color tends to fade! I think this color will still look gorgeous slightly faded though, and I like gold hardware better than the rose gold.

I went down to Barney’s in Boston too see the bag in person, but they were out of stock and placed one on hold in New York for me. But when I went to NYC that weekend the store had none, even though their computer said that there should still be 4 somewhere! I managed to take a look at the other styles in this color though and knew that I definitely wanted the City in Old Rose, so I placed my order online and had it shipped to Boston. No sales tax 😀 I had it shipped via Complimentary Ground, and although the Balenciaga site has options for Next-Day and 2-Day delivery it still made it to me in 2 days, with the white Balenciaga box inside a nondescript regular brown cardboard box, and with signature confirmation in case anyone else tries to make off with my bag in the mail!

Overall I’m very pleased with the Balenciaga online store and my new bag, and I’ll definitely be getting as much wear out of this bag before next season’s colors come out! This does match most things in my wardrobe (pink) after all..

I seem to say this about almost every shoe I feature here, but aren’t these just beautiful? Such a classic shape and color really don’t need me to describe them further, but if I did, I’d say something about how these would be the perfect classic bridal shoes, but still versatile and elegant enough for any other dressy evening event. Add something about that faint blushpetal pink and stunning sheen of the silk-satin, and curved almond toe platform pump shape that only Designers tend to do to perfection and voila, post done! Here, have another picture:

What was that I said about the perfect curve of this vamp again? Oh yeah, designer shoes cost $480 and you can pick this pair up from Net-A-Porter here.

I don’t generally write about bags, though not for looking at them less than I do shoes! I should probably feature more bags on here, because who doesn’t like looking at bags? (Not me anyway…) This is Kate Spade’s popular Gold Coast Evangeline bag, shown above in ballerina pink. I really like this shade of pink because it instantly makes an item more delicate and feminine, and I think it works perfectly with the quilting and gold plating to make for a girlish bag. I like how this bag has its own distinctive look, unlike a lot of other quilted bags that tend to have the same look (ie, the Chanel Classic look…), due to the vertical quilting pattern and diamond-shaped clasp that have been used here.

This is pebbled cowhide, with 14k light gold plated hardware and a flap and turnlock closure. You can purchase it here for $395. Also available in cream and cashew.

Exactly what the picture says: the Kate Spade Friends and Family Sale is currently going on, and entering the code FFSPR11 gets you 25% off your purchase online. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s back to the Kate Spade site for me – I know, I’m such a good blogger, interrupting my own shopping to let you guys in on the sale…